That amusing old huckster, Erich von Daniken, passed away on January 10, 2026, at the age of 90. This, his first book, was pretty much everywhere when we were kids; it was initially published in 1968. Most of its 'claims' have been debunked, of course, but it was, in effect, an engaging fictional narrative that he kept spinning over 48 or so books. I'm pretty sure we had a copy; I think it was Mike's, but we all dipped into it. The Seventies were a fertile ground for "speculative science," and as kids without a strong critical structure in place, we were midly agog with "What if?", with UFOs and Bigfeet and lake monsters. To be scrupulously fair, he never out and out claimed anything was factual; he was just posing suggestive questions.
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